Darling In The Meadow
by Covaili
Summary: Rating set to change. Darling In The Meadow is the sequel that follows Darling In The Franxx and is 100% fan created. In this story, the love between Hiro and Zera begins all over again. But this time, it will be up to them to decide how their lives play out in the end. A mix of love, life and adventure, DITM takes what was left behind and picks up right where we left off.
1. Chapter One: A new story begins

Awhile back I decided to check out a show that my boss recommended to me. At first I put it off, so much in fact, that it "almost fell off the table." Recently, I decided to watch the first episode out of curiosity. _Then the next episode._ And before I knew it, I was getting angry at Ichigo at 3 in the morning. It turns out, I love this show. And, I love the story behind it.

This story touched on some important human emotions that we tend to not think about everyday, more or less, appreciate. Without them, we'd be missing out on a lot; not just general happiness, but life itself. And that is a concept that made me fall in love with _DITF._

So what is **_DITM?_**

The last episode of the anime is strongly criticized for how vague it was in terms of a wrap-up. I wasn't personally _mad_ that it ended the way it did, but I'm not completely satisfied either. After a week of **SOUL SEARCHING** , and browsing through Reddit, I came to the conclusion that I wasn't alone! We needed a continuation of this story, and it had to be something that filled the hole in our hearts. That's what _Darling In The Meadow_ is. The story continues off of **the anime** 's ending and builds on what was left for us fans to dwell over. I won't say too much, but that's the gist.

Last but not least, this is a fan-sequel. I will give you all a new story and a new world that takes us farther and into the harder struggles of humanity, while also trying to do my best at making everything as if it were canon. I'm not perfect, and I will make mistakes; as a writer though, I want you all to know even just a simple read makes me happy. It shows that people take interest in what I make, and that makes me smile. So thank you.

I hope you find yourself the missing pieces with this story, as I hope I can create them. Let's do this!

 **—Darling In The Meadow—**

 _Prelude_ \- day after Stretlitzia goes into deep space

"Humans.

They're weak. And Pathetic.

 _Yet_ I find myself admiring them. Why?"

001 looked up into the sky noticing the differences between each of the clouds. She began to understand why humans were problematic.

"Humans are all the same in theory. But the truth is, they're all different. Each one of them leans on the fence one way or another, but with completely different mindsets and beliefs. Surely, that 1 quality that my species lacked weakened me."

She stepped closer to the edge of cliff she was standing on. In a haze of confusion, she gathered a quick realization.

"But.

That's not why I admire humans. I admire them because...

... they can love. They can trust and care for one another with no limits. They can give each other hope... you two taught me that. Thank you, Hiro and... 002."

001 smiled and closed her eyes. She loosened her weightless body and fell-back off the cliff and started to fall towards the water below. Up until the moment her body disappeared into the water, she never broke that smile.

It took two people who were deeply in love and faced the point of death to make her smile, but.

She smiled.

—————— Chapter One: A new story begins ——————

 _One day. For sure._

 _Yeah. For sure._

Throughout the years that passed after the battle with VIRM, humanity rebuilt as much as they could. In short, the use of magma cores stopped completely with an agreement within the new founding leaders of _Hope-Origin_ or H.0. (H-Zero) as locals called it. Hope-Origins prime goal was to make sure that what happened previously would never repeat again; it was their job to make sure that peace and prosperity could be preserved for generations to come.

Although a new world was opened up once again for humanity, there were 3 big issues that would raise more concern than relief among Hope-Origin. The first was finding out how earth as a whole held up during the many years of humanities absence. Targeted with plenty of issues, Hope-Origin sent out an ex-parasite to the lands far out of the Gran Crevasse's reach; specifically, he was sent to the east. Traces of humanities past were scattered among the lands that stretched away from the Gran Crevasse in all directions. Because of this, 3 more found themselves as lead-voyagers for Hope-Origin. The other 3 traveled the north, south and west regions in small groups that slowly grew in number over time. During these expeditions, the Gran Crevasse was given a new name, now to be known as Grencrevasse City.

The end game was simply to find any means of life beyond the Gran Crevasse and too learn about the once life-filled planet humans called home.

After years of close study and careful evaluation, the expeditions were called off and Hope-Origin started to get things ready for other areas to begin re-populating.

This was great for humanity, as science was beginning to understand how earths natural world worked again. You could even say it was like a bunch of old work friends getting together to chatter about their past together. With some filling in the details that another one missed. The world was starting to come together as it had been before.

The second issue that Hope-Origin had to address was civility. In the beginning, the freedom that humans were given seemed like an absolute paradise. And in theory it was, but... a city full of people without 'Papa's' watch and control could lead into a path of chaos. Without order, civility was not a guarantee.

With that idea in mind, one of the leaders of Hope-Origin proposed a set of guidelines that, in turn, could become new "laws" to keep civility a guarantee. It would also punish those that went against it.

This however, was easier said than done. As one can imagine, telling a large sum of people who haven't ever seen freedom that they must be 'controlled' didn't end too well. This led to the first of many self-inflicted human problems.

After weeks of this continuous debate on human freedom, Hope-Origin announced a doctrine known as Freedom First. In this doctrine, all 7 elected members of Hope-Origin signed their names in agreement to a set of basic rights to all citizens spanning across Grencrevasse City, with other such documents coming about for other places in the near future. With it came the civility laws that were required for all citizens of Grencrevasse City to follow, so peace and harmony could exist among everyone.

Perfect in theory, and almost perfect in reality; crime was almost non-existent with the Freedom-First doctrine in effect. However, the ones that went against those laws would be sent to a facility just on the outside of Grencrevasse city's limits. They would then be put through programs of "rehabilitation," to help ensure their return to society would not haze the peace anymore. Not much is known about this facility though.

The last problem that humanity in a whole faced, was territorial borders and who would lead what. Of course, Hope-Origin began to make claims on why their reach should stretch over Grencrevasse City, but that was not well-received with people looking to venture out on their own.

As the years went by, places did eventually become filled with wild life and greenery, thanks to the Klaxosaurs. The world was booming with natural life, so of course other settlements were a must. But how?

If society could face so many issues with one huge city, then how could they re-inhabit the earth as a whole?

Well, another ex-parasite (and a mom!) had an idea that would gather support from people even outside of Grencrevasse City. Her name was Ichigo Sakuri, who happened to be married to Goro Sakuri - the first official voyager of Hope-Origin.

Ichigo's idea proposed freedom-first would be in use among the other settlements as they evolved. She also made it clear that her people were equal to anyone else outside of Grencrevasse City.

This idea was rejected for its inability to answer the issue still at hand. Still, Ichigo insisted that her idea was not simply to have freedom-first only enacted for one society or another, but rather for every place that wished to have freedom and peace. Her goal was to allow people's lives total prosperity no matter where they went.

This, as well with intense support, was seen as the first act of global peace. A first of many, but a first at that.

Even with her idea being accepted, the issue of territorial borders still remained. And still to this day, a solution has not been put in stone yet. There are rumors that Hope-Origin split up two divisions for this rising problem, but they're only rumors. There's also talk about taking the city and grouping it with others nearby, but again, rumors are rumors.

Many of the ex-parasites did not have names the same as Goro or Ichigo did, let alone last names. But overtime people found old books and records that listed names used from many other cultures that existed before plantations came about. A growing demand from people that wanted their own names rattled society, and very shortly after humanity left the plantations, it was clear that it was a must for society as a whole. It was only natural for people to have their own names.

This tiny event was a massive stepping stone for recreating the world as it once was. But it gave people individuality, and that itself was a great thing.

The world was growing. Even if slowly. And it was all thanks to them.

Although humanity grew from Hiro and 002's bravery and absolute love, very few would know about it. Outside of Squad 13 and a few squad members from other plantations, no one would remember them as they should have. But that was fine, because the friends that waited for their return home, did. The wish they all shared, would shortly come true; the wish that the two could happily live their lives together, forever.

There was pink-pedaled tree that sat beside a meadow that had watched humanity grow for many years. It's petals would flower the ground all around and attract people from all over the city to visit.

It was common place to find a certain little boy reading under its branches. He would often read and write when the sun was just starting to set while also watching the colors illuminate the sky. _Why does the sun always rise and fall? Where do all the pretty colors in the world come from?_ He was often full of questions but hesitated to ask them. For him, it was a mix of wanting to find the answer himself and being worried that his question would be ignored.

He sat against the tree's stump with a book in his lap almost every night. But tonight was special! This time, he would read himself a book about happiness, dreams and the love between a prince and princess; a book that he rewrote and drew all by himself. Tonight was the night he had finally finished it.

When the sun was finally started to set, the sky went from blue to pink with various hues in between. The boy sat down in the cozy spot he'd made for himself over time. He looked at the cover and smiled. His eyes glistened with happiness.

The cover displayed a drawn out prince and princess holding hands under the moon. It wasn't perfect, but he was satisfied. He opened to the next page that displayed a girl with bread in her hand running from a baker. As he was about to start reading the words on the page, a little girl came running towards the meadow just past the tree.

In a split second, the boy heard the girl scream and trip over a few of the overlaying roots from the tree. He watched as her pink hair waved in the air.

"Ouch! That hurt." She whined.

"Are you okay?" The boy asked. His face wore a worried expression.

"Uh.. yeah, well... I think so." She looked down and noticed her knee was scraped.

The boy smiled and stuck his hand out. The girl looked up and blushed.

"Let me help you." He gently held her hand and lifted her up.

"What's your name?" She asked, curiously.

"Me?"

"Yeah, you!" She giggled.

"I'm well, my name is — "

"Zera! That's what happens when you don't watch where you're going." A voice from behind, said.

"I know, I just... I can't contain it! They say there's an ocean over there, and I wanna see it." The little girl pouted.

"I told you, we will soon." The woman got into the light and looked similar to the little girl. She sighed and started to find a bandage in her bag.

 _Her mother, maybe?_ Hiro thought to himself. _Shes kinda young... maybe she's_ –

"What was your name, again?" The little girl asked.

"Hiro. My names Hiro."

 _Hiro_... she thought.

Hearing that name made her smile even more than she did when the ocean was mentioned. "My names Zera!". She smiled and rushed to a quick hug with Hiro.

 _Her hair... why does it smell so sweet?_ Hiro starting to blush. His face casted a shadow that didn't show it, but he was.

She stood back and grabbed a piece of candy from her pocket. "Here! You can have it." She held out her hand that had a piece of caramel candy in it.

Hiro nervously laughed. "Thank you." He said. Zera looked over at what was lying on the ground. She noticed it was similar to something she had at home. She just had an idea! But for now, all she could do was feel happy, and stay completely unaware of her stinging knee.

Hiro stared at her knee and noticed she was bleeding a little. He felt _weird._ "Let me help you with your knee," he smiled. "You banged it up a little when you fell."

"Oh my, Zera. You really need to pay attention to where you're going." The woman smiled.

Zera smiled and nodded her head in agreement with Hiro.

He bent down on one knee and pulled out an extra bandage he had from when he scraped his knee.

 _On the very same root._

"Is this your sister?" Hiro was taking the safe route and going with the more polite way of asking out who the woman was, something he learned the hard way.

"Yup! This is Melody. We're not blood sisters but she's raised me since I was born. I didn't know my mother, but I've always known her. But she was quite young too, at the time." Hiro sealed the bandage on and stood up. Zera smiled. She rushed in for another hug. "Thank you. Hiro."

Melody smiled. _Zera likes him, doesn't she._ "Alright Zera, it's getting late. Let's head back for tonight."

"Aw, fine." She moaned and turned around. "Hey Hiro. Me and you, let's see each other right at this spot tomorrow!" Her face lit up at the thought of the next day.

"Of course." Hiro nervously laughed.

They both smiled.

Zera started running off back towards her home with Melody struggling to catch up. Her hands stayed in the front in the whole time, which Hiro thought was kinda funny.

He watched them walk off until he couldn't see them anymore.

"Okay. Let's see how my book turned out!" Hiro said, joyfully. He turned around and his jaw dropped.

 _M-my book. It's gone_. Hiro started to panic. "SHE TOOK IT!" Hiro yelled.

——————o —————

Meanwhile, Zera had reached her door step and rushed inside. She ran upstairs to her room and closed the door with a goofy smile on her face. She set the book down and opened it and began to read the story out loud.

The entire time all she could think about was the gift she was going to give Hiro the next day.

But on the other hand...

"OH, SHES GOING TO GET AN EAR FULL TOMORROW." Hiro yelled out loud.

——————o —————

As you can see, I spent half the chapter explaining the situation that the world is in. This is so later down the line, things make sense. I tried to recreate the situation that I see humanity facing itself in while also keeping the idea that DITF gives off.

I'm excited to let these two begin their lives in way they didn't before. I hope you all are excited just as I am!


	2. Chapter Two: Crossed Arms

Darling In The Meadow -

 _The way we think and live; it's always been planned out for us._

 _But now._

 _It's all up to us._

Chapter Two: Crossed Arms

"Time is a funny concept to grasp. In most situations, time seems to play a big importance in the way people live. Yet in reality, it doesn't actually matter, does it?"

Claudia looked out into the citys busy streets, spinning her wine glass in small circles.

"Look at them; all wound up like alarm clocks waiting for the time to strike." A grin started to surface from her lips. She drank down the remaining wine and let the glass go. The sound of the glass breaking started to infuriate her.

Her grin dropped.

"Let's see how many of them break when I take their time away."

 _Their useless, pitiful time._

In the dark end of the room, a man grinned. Aroused at how angry Claudia was getting, he started to visualize her without clothes. "You know; time doesn't exist for us as it does them," he stared at Claudia's dress straps, "but — we don't need to worry about _time_. It's insignificant for the ones who live forever."

Claudia took another quick look at the people below. "That isn't my point. Life continues without time, no matter the flesh living it. I find it irritating that the moment humanity finds food; instead of feeding their hungry, aching stomachs — they simply turn around and throw it away." Claudia smiled, "You're a pervert anyway, Lyias; there's not much you can say is significant about you."

He liked the sound of his name escaping Claudia's mouth.

* * *

The morning that followed Zera's encounter of fate with Hiro, started with her getting up out of bed with a few stretches and morning moans. Her mind was foggy and full of thoughts that were random in variance. Within a few short moments she started to catch up with herself and she quickly grew excited. The name of the boy she met last night started to ring around in her head: this and the sound of music was what kept her little mind up all night finishing Hiro's gift.

She got out of her bed and started walking to her dresser. She heard footsteps and quickly decided to decline any sort of interruptions.

"Zera... are you awake yet?" Melody asked, holding a basket of clothes on the side of the door.

"No, I'm not. Leave me alone. I'm busy. I'm sleeping!" Zera stuck her tongue out and frantically went through clothes left and right. She was full of confidence that she'd do everything herself; no help from Melody was needed today!

"Well," Melody sighed, "It doesn't sound like your sleeping. And I figured I might — "

"I'm not hungry right now. I'm busy." Zera interrupted, throwing a shirt across the room. "WHERE IS IT?!" She yelled. "It's the one shirt I need, and it's hiding from me. I just want to look like a cute flower for Hiro, why is this happening!"

Melody looked at the clothes laying in the basket she was holding. The shirt Zera was looking for was on the top. _Sigh_. "Zera, are you looking for the light-pink shirt with the flower patterns on it?" She sat the basket down.

Suddenly, all noise coming from Zera's room ceased. Melody stepped back. Zera quickly opened the door and ran to the basket and grabbed the shirt. "Heeheeeheeeee!" She giggled, as she ran back inside slamming the door.

"I'll be downstairs if you need me." Melody wore a grin and walked downstairs. She knew this was how Zera always acted. She was very reliant on herself with most things, but oftentimes Melody left little bits here and there to make sure Zera didn't lose that confidence in herself. Melody had to quickly realize that patience was key to letting her grow. Even the old lady that taught Zera agreed.

* * *

Hiro didn't sleep any more than Zera did. The entire night he rolled back and fourth between his blankets at the thought of the pink haired thief. "I can't believe it! She took my book, and I some how managed to not even notice." Hiro kept repeating the same lines over and over to himself.

He also couldn't sleep for another reason, again originating from Zera. He loved her smile and giggles; every time she hugged him, he felt all warm inside. But even so, he was angry at the fact that she lured him into her trap.

"Ugh! Why me?!." Hiro shoved his face into his pillow. "She seemed so nice, too. Giving me candy and those hugs... errrgghh!"

The last of the thoughts that filled his head before he fell asleep consisted of warm and cute ones of Zera.

His morning began with a simple rub of the eyes. The sunlight peered through his curtains and brightened part of his room up. He sat up and rested his hands on his lap. His palms opened up at the thought of holding Zera's hand again. But why? Last night he was full of frustration since she took his book, the one thing he was proud of himself for. So why did he... miss her?

Hiro's eyes didn't drift away from his palms anymore than his mind did; the feeling of Zera's hands captivated him in a way he'd never felt before. He pictured her on the ground, looking up at him smiling. For some reason, he wanted to cry.

His eyes started to water with all the unfamiliar emotions.

 _Why do I feel like this towards her? It's like in the book I wrote..._ He thought to himself. "Wait a minute!" Hiro wiped his eyes, "That book was hand drawn and written, so why did she want it then? I have to get it back. It's the only thing I have ... to be proud of." Hiro stood up and got his jacket on. He grabbed an apple to eat for breakfast and then started to head back to the pink-petaled tree where he met Zera.

 _He hoped he would see her again, like she promised._

* * *

Melody sat at the table downstairs in silence. She watched as the steam rose in vertical waves from her coffee. _As much as I'm concerned about why she feels this way so young, I can't say it's not right. I don't know much about love myself_. Melody lightly chuckled. _It's weird; she's perked up more in one night than in 11 years of knowing her. But I'm happy for her. She's happy. And by the looks of it, she made him happy, too._

Suddenly, Melody heard Zera fall on the floor upstairs.

"Zera! Are you alright?" Melody yelled.

"Um, yeah I'm okay." Zera called back. _Ow, that really hurt_.

"What happened?" Melody asked.

"I just slipped and fell when I put on my skirt." Zera stood back up and made sure her shirt and hair was done properly.

Melody giggled, "You're so clumsy." ... _Now that I think about it, maybe this boy will be what she needs_.

Zera's outfit consisted of a light pink long sleeved shirt with floral patterns and a light pink skirt. Her hair was straightened and perfected (well, to the best of her ability at least.) She made sure her silver dove bracelet was polished and that her overall look matched.

She never cared about her looks before, but for Hiro, she wanted to make sure she looked pretty when she gave him his gift. All she wanted was for him to smile, for him to look at her and hold her hand. She never thought about why in detail, but he was special to her.

After 2 or so hours of constant modifications to her looks, she was ready and came down stairs. Melody sat drinking her coffee while reading a novel she picked up from a market recently. She heard the sound of Zera walking down the stairs and looked up. When she did, she immediately became impressed at how well Zera handled her own fashion without any help. "Zera, you look beautiful." Melody smiled.

Zera's cheeks became rosy, "You think so?"

"I know so."

Zera giggled with excitement.

"What's that in your hand, Zera?" Melody took a sip of her coffee.

"This is a gift a made Hiro. I took his book without asking and did something special with it!"

Melody spit out her coffee, "Wait a minute, you did what?"

"See this book here? Well you can't see it now, because of the wrapping and all but, I have the same one."

"I get that part, Zera. But you can't just take someone's things and — "

"I wasn't done! Don't interrupt me. That's rude." Zera snapped.

"Tch." Melody took another sip of her coffee.

"I love this book because of the story it tells. But the one I hold in my hands now I love even more. Hiro rewrote and drew the whole book all by himself. When I noticed the differences last night, I immediately knew what I wanted to do. But. I couldn't tell him, because if I did than it wouldn't be a surprise."

"Yeah, I bet you surprised him alright." Melody rolled her eyes. "So whats this gift that you're giving him? His book back?" She laughed.

"That's a secret. And! It's between me and him, well it will be. So no more wasting time! I'm gonna walk back to the meadow to see him again." Zera turned around to walk towards the front door.

"Be careful, Zera. It's windy outside."

"Jeez, I know." She opened the front door and started to run towards the pink-petaled tree. Her heart pounded in her chest. She was nervous. What if he didn't want to see her? What if he forgot about her? Full of concerns and worries, Zera took off running as fast as her little legs could go, all the way to where she first met Hiro.

* * *

It was early autumn, and the trees started to show it. Every street from Zera's house to the meadow itself was starting to adjust in color and atmosphere. The air was becoming crisp and filled with the autumn scents. Change was happening for both Hiro and Zera in many different ways.

In Grencrevasse, it was tradition to treat autumn as the season of love and happiness. Many considered the season to represent change, and the ones that witnessed it along side you were the ones who loved you the most. It was a wholesome way of remembering what mattered.

Hiro arrived at the pink-petaled tree and sat down on the grass. A breeze swept through quickly that made him shiver and pull his jacket together. "Man, it sure is colder than yesterday." He said, putting his knees up. He wrapped his arms around his legs.

Hiro's mind was clouded with images and thoughts; every single one was about Zera. All he could do was hope he'd see her again. He wanted his hook back, but...

... he wanted her back too.

Zera's running steadily came to a stop when she got closer to the tree. She too was full of nervousness and anxiety. She tucked her arms into each other, holding the gift in her left hand.

She looked up at the sky; taking deep breaths, she continued until she finally was able to reach the tree.

It resided on a small hilltop that was surrounded by a meadow of pink and white flowers. Hiro sat on the other side that faced away from Zera, slowly falling asleep. The breeze and his own warmth started to make him tired.

Zera didn't know Hiro was on the other side of the tree.

Out of nervousness, she quietly sat down and laid back against the part that faced the sun, leaving Hiro in the tree's shadow alone. The breeze and rustling leaves made it hard for someone who was trying to be quiet, to make any noise.

Both of them sat there, unaware of how close the other one was. But to them, the distance was substantial. Perhaps if Hiro wore warmer clothes, he wouldn't have fallen asleep. And if Zera was heavier, maybe Hiro would've heard her coming.

Zera's eyes slowly came to a close just as Hiro's did. Her mind visualized him smiling and hugging her closely.

Within a few short minutes, Hiro and Zera were both asleep dreaming of one another. Zera dozed off with smile on her face. In a way, she felt Hiro holding her in crossed arms.


End file.
